Brighton is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Bayside local government area. Brighton recorded a population of 23,252 at the 2021 census.

History

thumb|Brighton Beach in July 2024

In England, on 29 August 1840, Henry Dendy (1800–81) purchased of Port Phillip land at £1 per acre, sight unseen, under the terms of the short-lived Special Survey regulations. Dendy arrived on 5 February 1841 to claim his land. The area was known as Dendy's Special Survey.

The area Dendy was compelled to take, called "Waterville", was bound by the coastline to the west and the present day North Road, East Boundary Road and South Road. A town was surveyed in mid-1841, defined by the crescent-shaped street layout which remains today, and subdivided allotments were offered for sale. The area soon became the "Brighton Estate", and Dendy's site for his own home was named "Brighton Park". Unfortunately, the land did not have any ready sources of water. Sales were slow at first, and the financial depression came and Dendy's scheme for emigration and land sales failed. The family of his agent Jonathan Binns Were (1809–85) who had arrived in Melbourne in 1839, bought the land. All of Dendy's business ventures failed, and he died a pauper.

After the depression, sales of land resulted in Brighton becoming the third most populated town in the Port Phillip District (after Melbourne and Portland), by 1846. Brighton attracted wealthy residents who wanted generous building sites and the prospect of sea bathing. By the late 1840s stately homes were built in an area known as 'The Terrace', now called the Esplanade, overlooking Dendy Street Beach. The Brighton Post Office opened on 19 April 1853.

St Andrew's Anglican Church, Brighton, one of the earliest churches in Victoria, was founded in 1842. Wesleyan and Catholic churches followed by 1848, and a Methodist church in 1851. Schools were opened on the Anglican Church land (1849) and by the Catholic Church in Centre Road (1850). Another was opened in the Wesleyan Church in 1855. In 1854, Brighton had a census population of 2,731.

A railway connection to Melbourne was built in stages: Windsor to North Brighton was completed in 1859 and connected to the loop line to St Kilda station; the connection to Melbourne was made in 1860; and the line was extended from North Brighton to Brighton Beach in 1861. A single line railway-tram from St Kilda to Brighton Beach was completed in 1906. The railway tramline was duplicated in 1914. In 1919 the railway was electrified. A tram ran down Hawthorn Road; the section from Glenhuntly to North Road was completed in 1925 and extended to Nepean Highway in 1937.

The noted bathing boxes in Brighton are known to have existed as far back as 1862, although the earliest ones were at the water's edge at the end of Bay St rather than their present location on Dendy Street Beach just south of Middle Brighton.

Two years after the opening of the railway line to Brighton Beach in 1861, Captain Kenny's Brighton Beach Baths opened. At the time, bathing in the open during daylight hours was strictly prohibited, as was mixed bathing: separate sections of the beach were designated for men and for women. The baths were built off shore and were accessed by a wooden bridge, so that bathers would not have to cross the sand clad only in bathing costumes, but could gain entry straight into the water. Brighton Beach Baths had been destroyed several times, and were finally demolished in 1979. The Middle Brighton Municipal Baths were opened in 1881. The Baths are one of the only remaining caged open water sea baths in Australia.

On 18 January 1859, the municipality of Brighton was proclaimed extending eastwards between Dendy's survey boundaries to Thomas Street and Nepean Highway. Brighton became a borough in October 1863, and in 1870 parts of Elwood and Elsternwick were added. Brighton became a town on 18 March 1887. It annexed from the City of Moorabbin on 3 April 1912 and became the City of Brighton on 12 March 1919. On 14 December 1994, the City of Brighton was incorporated in a new municipality called City of Bayside.

The Brighton Magistrates' Court closed on 1 February 1985.

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File:Church street middle brighton in 1907.jpg|Church Street, Middle Brighton in 1907

File:Postcard of brighton beach in 1910.jpg|Postcard of Brighton Beach in 1910

File:John Knox Church in Brighton.jpg|John Knox church (built 1876) in Brighton

File:2021 Church Brighton.jpg|St Joan of Arc church in Brighton, 2021

File:Heritage Kamesburgh Gardens in Brighton b.jpg|Heritage Kamesburgh Gardens in North Road

File:Brighton-tornado.jpg|Aftermath of the Brighton tornado of 2 Feb 1918

File:Clubbeachbrighton.jpg|Yacht club

File:Brightonbeachhotel (cropped) b.jpg|Brighton beach hotel

</gallery>

Former cinemas

Prince George Theatre

The Prince George Theatre was located in Church Street, Middle Brighton.

The building was originally built as the Caledonian Hall by David Munro in the late 19th century. It was first used as a public hall, doubling as a cinema when moving pictures were created in the first decade of the 20th Century. In 1920 the hall was refurbished, and reopened as the Grand Central Cinema. In October 1926 Robert McLeish Theatres of Swanston Street, Melbourne took over operations of the cinema, renaming it the Paramount. It was built on a site where Dendy made his first camp. It was later known as the Dendy Cinema.

The cinema was owned by Bert Ward (born c.1907), who passed his cinema industry knowledge and skills onto his son Robert Ward (died 2017). Under Robert, the Dendy cinema brand spread first into the city in Collins Street, then across the suburbs and interstate. Dendy Theatre was known as Dendy Cinema in the 1960s. Film screenings were regularly advertised in The Australian Jewish News, which reported in 1966 that "generous concessions" were available to Jewish organisations for group bookings. In April 1967, a three-manual, fifteen-rank Wurlitzer organ was installed in the theatre, after being transported from the Capitol Theatre in Swanston Street, Melbourne. The organ was officially opened by organist Horace Webber, who had first opened the instrument in 1924.

In 1979 Andrew Ward applied to replace the Dendy Cinema with a two-screen cinema complex, along with shops and offices. Redevelopment of the site began four years later and the new Dendy Centre opened on 30 April 1985. which are one of the tourist icons of Melbourne. The boxes share a uniformity of size and build, and a regular arrangement along the beach, and are the only surviving such structures close to the Melbourne CBD. A Planning Scheme Heritage Overlay on the boxes by the Bayside City Council restricts alterations, and all retain their Victorian era architecture, such as timber frames, weatherboard sidings, and corrugated iron roofs, without amenities such electricity or running water.

thumb|right|The Baths - including sea baths, gym, and restaurant

Between Middle Brighton Beach and Sandown St Beach are the historic moderne Middle Brighton Municipal Baths, Royal Brighton Yacht Club, and the Middle Brighton Pier and breakwater.

Population

thumb|Vertical aerial panorama of Middle Brighton Pier.and the Brighton Baths from above. February 2023.

In the 2016 Census, there were 23,253 people in Brighton. 68.1% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 5.4%, China 2.8%, New Zealand 1.7%, United States of America 1.2% and South Africa 1.1%. 79.0% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin 3.2%, Greek 1.9%, Italian 1.5%, Russian 1.4% and French 0.8%. The most common responses for religion in Brighton were Christianity 55.9%, No Religion 33.6%, Catholic 22.5% (subsector of Christianity) and Anglican 16.7% (subsector of Christianity.

Transport

Brighton is serviced by the Gardenvale, North Brighton, Middle Brighton, and Brighton Beach railway stations on the Sandringham line.

Tram Route 64 from Melbourne University services the eastern extremities of the suburb, while there are also a range of bus services, including 216, Monash University bound 630 and 219 which run through the Melbourne CBD. Several major arterial roads run near or through Brighton.

The Bay Trail off-road bicycle path passes through the Brighton foreshore.

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File:North Brighton Railway Station.jpg|North Brighton station

File:Brighton 2021 station.jpg|Middle Brighton station

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Education

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File:BrightonPrimaryschool2024 b.jpg|Brighton Primary School

File:StJoanof ArcsPrimary2021 b.jpg|St Joan of Arcs Primary School

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thumb|Aerial panorama of Middle Brighton Pier and its fleet of yachts. February 2023.

Secondary schools within Brighton includes Brighton Grammar School, Brighton Secondary College, Firbank Girls' Grammar School, Haileybury's Castlefield campus, St Leonard's College, Xavier College's Kostka Hall junior campus (closed down in 2021), and Star of the Sea College.

The Melbourne International School of Japanese, a part-time Japanese school, previously held its classes at the Brighton Grammar School in Brighton. The local Catholic Primary schools are St Joan of Arcs Brighton and St James Primary School which is near Star of the Sea.

Sport

Golfers play at the Brighton Public Golf Course on Dendy Street.

Brighton is home to the Brighton Icebergers.

Brighton Beach is one of Port Phillip Bay's premier kite surfing locations with designated access lanes for kitesurfing and regular lessons being held opposite the beachfront hotel; The Brighton Savoy.

Bridge is taught and played the Dendy Park bridge club.

Brighton is also home to the following sports clubs:

  • Bayside Cougars Hockey Club
  • Brighton Soccer Club
  • Brighton Cricket Club
  • Cluden Cricket Club
  • East Brighton United Soccer Club
  • Old Brighton Grammarians Amateur Football Club (Australian Rules)

Notable residents

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Some notable residents, past and present, include:

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  • Wasim Akram, former cricketer and Pakistan captain
  • Shaniera Akram
  • Alfred William Anderson, butcher and entrepreneur
  • Eric Bana, actor
  • Marcus Bastiaan, businessman and Liberal Party power broker.
  • James Brayshaw, former cricketer, now a radio personality and The AFL Footy Show host
  • Philippa Christian, author, celebrity nanny & TV personality
  • Alastair Clarkson, sportsman
  • Leslie Cochrane, politician
  • Timothy Conigrave, actor, writer and activist
  • Brendan Fevola, former Australian rules footballer
  • Danny Frawley, former Australian rules footballer, and media personality (deceased 2019)
  • Cathy Freeman, former athlete
  • Adam Lindsay Gordon, poet
  • Thomas Francis Hyland, pioneering wine industry businessman, associated with Penfolds
  • Jack Iverson, cricketer who lived and sold real estate in the area
  • Justus Jorgensen, artist
  • Chris Judd, Australian rules footballer
  • Chris Lilley, comedian and actor
  • Matthew Lloyd, former Australian rules footballer
  • John Mather (artist), lived at The Pines, Wellington Street Brighton from 1895 to 1900
  • Livinia Nixon, TV presenter
  • Jesper Olsen, former Manchester United F.C. and Danish football (soccer) player
  • Oscar Piastri, Formula 1 Driver
  • Ricky Ponting, former cricketer and Australian captain
  • Jack Riewoldt, Australian rules footballer
  • Nick Riewoldt, Australian rules footballer, and media personality
  • Frederick Taylor, squatter/property manager, and mass murderer(historical resident)
  • Shane Warne, cricketer (deceased 2022)
  • Jonathan Binns Were, stockbroker and politician
  • Chester Wilmot, journalist and broadcaster
  • Todd Woodbridge, tennis player
  • Shane Crawford, former Australian rules football player, television media personality and author
  • Jock Serong, author

See also

  • City of Brighton – Brighton was previously within this former local government area.
  • Warrowen massacre

Footnotes

References

Further reading

  • Bayside City Council Website
  • Brighton Life Saving Club Website
  • Australian Places&nbsp;– Brighton
  • Brighton Historical Society, includes two photos of the Town Hall
  • Church Street, Brighton Precinct Website

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